The Potions Partner
by Ava Miranda Dakedavra
Summary: But nobody here would know what was really meant to happen, aside from a little glass vial sitting in the bottom of Remus' trunk that had long since been forgotten. Because, really, that and the Potions partner had been what changed it all.


**For once, this isn't a Remus-x-Hermione story, even though I've got it posted as them being the two main characters.**

**Actually, it's a Fred-x-Hermione story, but that's way down the line. *shrug***

**_Song of the Day: _**_"We Are Young" by fun._

* * *

Remus glanced at his Potions partner. She had dark brown hair tumbling in thick curls down her back, her eyes trained on Slughorn as he babbled on at James and Sirius about rules and responsibility and _not_ blowing up potions. Her mouth twitched in a smile once or twice.

But Remus should've known her. He should've known this girl because they were sitting in seventh year Advanced Potions. He should've known this girl because she was sitting there wearing a Gryffindor tie.

But he didn't.

And that's what confused him.

What confused him more was when she turned and smiled warmly at him, looking as if this was just a regular day and as if she'd known him for seven years. But neither was the case.

Merlin, he was going to get a headache in this class.

* * *

"I don't remember her," James shrugged once Remus brought up the girl, "She doesn't even look that familiar."

"I'll fix that," Sirius grinned before sitting up from leaning on James' chair and putting a hand to magnify his voice, "OY! YOU!"

The girl looked up from _Hogwarts: A History_ and blinked innocently at him.

"What's your name?" he called out, making Remus slap his hand to his face as James chuckled.

She smiled back and closed her book, using her finger as a bookmark, "Hermione."

"Hermione! What's your last name?"

"Granger," she answered back simply.

"Should we know you?" he questioned.

She shook her head, "No."

"Okay," he grinned, both of them turning back to what they were doing previously, "Answer your question?"

Remus frowned at him, "Merlin, you're an idiot."

He then tackled him and hugged him as tightly as he could, mushily calling out to the entire Common Room that he loved him as he ordered to be let go.

* * *

Remus groaned as he rubbed his eyes, glaring at the curtain of the Hospital Wing. He hated full moons. He hated his lycanthropy. He'd hated it since he was five. He'd hated it ever since he watched his mother break down in the middle of the living room, crying about how she couldn't fix her baby. He'd hated it ever since he'd started Hogwarts. The only time he was mildly okay with it was when James, Sirius and Peter accepted the fact that he was a werewolf and began their task of becoming Animagi.

But he'd never actually _liked_ it.

He blinked in surprise as the curtain tore open, leaving Hermione to smile simply at him, a glass vial in her hand as she stepped closer to the bed.

"'Lo," she said as he scrambled to a sitting position.

"Err…hello," he said, eyeing her warily, "Ummm…."

"I brought this for you," she held out the vial, "Don't put sugar in it."

"What is it?" he asked, eyeing the murky liquid sloshing around merrily in the glass.

But when he looked up, he realized that she'd left as soon as he'd taken the glass. He popped the stopper and sniffed it, wrinkling his nose at it. He glanced dully at the clock, counting down the moments to when he'd become a wolf, before sighing and tilting his head back to take it. He coughed as soon as it went down, wincing and setting the vial on the nightstand. He waited a few moments, but after nothing happened, he slumped against the pillow and sighed, going back to glaring at the curtain.

* * *

Remus blinked his eyes open, staring in shock at James and Sirius as Peter began throwing clothes at the teenager still lying in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.

"What was _that_?" he questioned as he sat up, taking the clothing and looking at them as if they might have the answer.

"I have no clue," Sirius shook his head before snorting, "Oy, put some pants on, will you?"

"I mean," he stood up and struggled to hop on one leg and stuff the other one in the pants leg, "That was just – "

"Wild," James finished, looking warily up at the moon, "I mean, you acted as if – "

"I _was_," Remus said, successfully putting on some pants and standing there barefoot and shirtless, "What happened?"

A cough made them turn and blink as Hermione leaned against a tree, smiling at them pleasantly and holding out the empty glass vial that Remus had left in the Hospital Wing.

"Wolfsbane potion," she said, tossing it lightly to the shirtless teenager, "It relieves some of the effects of lycanthropy and allows the werewolf to control his or her thoughts while transformed."

"Pretty advanced stuff," James crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at her, "You're not from here are you?"

She smirked back, knowing exactly what he meant, "No, I'm not."

"Why _are_ you here?" Sirius questioned.

She shrugged, swaying a little on the trunk, "Spreading some good in places that aren't mine to be in. I'll leave eventually though, don't worry, you aren't stuck with me."

"Why me?" Remus asked.

She smiled, "I know you, Remus. Not from here, though, later on." She stood up, walking a little away before grinning and turning back, "Oh, by the way, nice abs." She winked as Remus did a double take to find that he still didn't have a shirt, and giggled once he scrambled to shove one over his head.

* * *

"So – Granger," she looked startled as Sirius' arm crept over her shoulders, "Are you, by any chance, seeing anybody?"

She blinked at him before looking dully at Remus as he sat down across from her at the table, "Is he for real?"

"I don't really know anymore," he sighed, shaking his head as James sat down on the other side of her and chuckled.

"Sirius Black, if you don't get your arm off of my person, I'll hex it off," she frowned at him, "Do I make myself clear?"

"But your person is hot!" he exclaimed, making her blink at him in shock before going into a fit of giggles.

"Oh great, Padfoot, look what you've done," James huffed, "You've broken her!"

"I just think it's funny that somebody other than my boyfriend finds me – as he so delicately put it – 'hot.'"

"Wait, you have a boyfriend?" At her nod, Sirius' arm dropped, "_Damn!_"

She laughed a little louder, smiling at the three before going back to her breakfast.

"Is he not from here either?" James asked, twirling his plate around dully.

"No, definitely not," she smiled back.

"Do you miss him?" Peter asked.

She sighed and smiled up at the ceiling, "Yeah. Yeah I do."

"Sorry," Sirius winced, "I didn't know you were, uhh – "

"It's fine, I just hope it embarrasses the crap out of you when you finally do meet me," she grinned.

"No sense," Remus muttered, shaking his head.

"Oh it will," she said brightly before taking a final sip of her pumpkin juice and standing up to go to class.

* * *

"What is this?" Remus asked as Hermione handed him a paper and dropped down in the seat next to him, looking exhausted but pleased.

"It's the ingredients and instructions for brewing the Wolfsbane potion," she said breathlessly, "I thought we could start working on it tomorrow, unless you have something else to do."

"Why are we?" he questioned.

"Remus, I'm not going to be here forever," she shrugged before patting his head and pecking his cheek, "Goodnight."

He blinked after her in confusion before shrugging at the empty Common Room, "Goodnight, I guess."

* * *

"I think I lost the feeling in the right side of my face," Remus said dully as he poked at his face, offering the extra chair at the table to Hermione, sliding down next to Sirius and smiling down at his butterbeer.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at him as Sirius grinned and took to poking his friend, unwinding her scarf from around her neck, "I _told _you – sage before rosemary!"

A guy behind Hermione grinned down at her, dropping down to mutter in her ear, making her freeze and look shocked at James, who was across the table.

"Giving Potions lessons again, Hermione?" he questioned with a grin, making her whirl around and jump up, throwing her arms around his neck and nearly topple them both to the ground.

"Oh, Fred!" she grinned, reaching up to peck him lightly on the lips, "I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," he grinned back, pecking her on the top of the head as he scrunched up her hair and hugged her.

James and Remus both shot an amused look at Sirius, who blinked at the two as he realized that Fred was a little bit older than her.

"So, you ready?" Fred asked, pulling a bit away from her and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

She winced and turned back to the four at the table, "I'm sorry, guys, but…."

James stood and grinned at her, walking around the table to hug her, "We'll miss you. Thanks for helping the Marauders out."

Fred arched an eyebrow at her, watching as she winced and her face turned a little red, "Hermione…did you pull a prank?"

"Only a small one," she huffed, "And that's not what he was talking about."

"Nice meeting you," Peter stood and extended his hand to her, making her smile and shake it.

"Good luck, Peter, I hope you and your friends stay safe," she looked at him pointedly as she said this before going back to smiling at him.

She turned to Sirius and opened her mouth to say goodbye to him, but was promptly stopped as he tipped her and kissed her fully on the mouth. James, Remus, Peter and Fred all gaped at him, but all was taken care of as Hermione popped back up and slapped him clear across the face. Fred laughed first, running a hand through his hair as he grinned at his girlfriend.

"_Prat!_" she growled as Sirius popped back up with a red hand print on his cheek.

"Worth it!" he cheered before running off in the opposite direction of her.

Remus laughed and stood, reaching out to hug her, "Thank you. For everything."

She smiled into his jacket, "You're welcome, Remus. Thank you for, technically, being one of my first friends."

He smiled into her hair, pulling back and looking sadly at her, "Good luck."

"You too," she smiled before starting to go out of the door with Fred, but hanging back to smirk at him, "And tell Sirius that the first time he meets me, I'm thirteen."

James coughed back a laugh as Remus grinned, "Will do."

Fred arched an eyebrow back at his girlfriend, who shrugged, "What? If the prat's going to kiss me, I'm going to make him barf for it."

Fred chuckled and pecked her on the forehead, "That's why I love you."

She grinned at this before waving to the remaining Marauders.

Remus sat down in silence at the table as they awaited Sirius to come back. He glanced back at where she'd been sitting, blinking at her scarf before picking it up and going out of the store.

"Hermione, wait – " he blinked at the snowy Hogsmeade, turning to look both ways down the street, finding neither Hermione or Fred. He looked back down at the scarf in his hand before shoving it into his jacket pocket. If what she said was true, he could give it back later.

* * *

"_Fred Weasley_!" Hermione growled up at him as he smirked back down, hands on his hips to mimic her.

"_Hermione Granger_!" he was on the verge of laughing a little.

"You give me back my wand, you great big bloody prat or I'll – !"

"Ooh, such bad words for a little prefect!" he said in glee, holding up her wand over her head and twirling it around.

"I am _not_ a prefect - !"

" – yet," he interjected.

She continued as if she hadn't heard him, " – and give me back my bloody wand!"

Remus grinned a little and stepped out from behind the corner, stepping up to them, "Mister Weasley."

Fred jumped, eyes wide as he blinked at him, "Err…hello, Professor."

"Give Miss Granger back her wand."

He did so, Hermione smirking at him a little as she took it back.

"And Miss Granger?"

She looked up at him fearfully, "Yes, Professor?"

"Stop using those words," he smiled, "Young women worth respect don't use them."

She flushed a little, "Yes, sir."

As he began to walk away, he grinned at the memory of those two nearly toppling each other over in the middle of the Three Broomsticks, "Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, sir?" they asked together.

"Surely the both of you, smart as you both are, can think of better ways to flirt?" he grinned as they gaped at him before he chuckled and walked away.

James and Lily would love this week's letter, he was certain. But James just might a little more than Lily would. Harry would politely ask him to stop sending his parents information about his friend's love life, although he would then smile and agree with him. Sirius would still be exclaiming that he'd kissed the seventeen-year-old version of Hermione and would then avoid her the next time she visited Godric's Hollow. She and Harry would then share confused looks with Lily as the three Marauders laughed at Padfoot's antics.

But nobody here would know what was really meant to happen, aside from a little glass vial sitting in the bottom of Remus' trunk that had long since been forgotten. Because, really, that and the Potions partner had been what changed it all.

* * *

**I originally meant for this to be a whole story, but after the first part was just like "screw it, it's a oneshot now." :P **

**_So_**** – I hope you liked it! …Meh. *shrug* **


End file.
